Cigarette extinguisher



Sept. 18, 1956 J. H. SKINNER CIGARETTE EXTINGUISHER Filed Feb. 15, 1954IIIIW Fig.3

Fig. 2

Jahn H. Skinner IN V EN TOR.

United States Patent CIGARETTE EXTINGU ISHER John H. Skinner,Pleasantville, Ohio Application February 15, 1954, Serial No. 410,283 72 Claims. c1, 131 -2 56) The present invention relates to a device forextingishing cigarettes which may be mounted on ash trays and the like.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a cigaretteextinguishing device adapted for mounting in ash trays and particularlyautomobile ash trays whereby the driver of the automobile may deposit acigarette butt in the extinguishing device which device willautomatically smother the butt thereby giving the driver time in whichto watch the road instead of watching the flying embers caused bygrinding the lighted tip of the butt.

An important object of the invention is to provide a cigarette buttextinguisher which can be operated simply by depositing the cigarette inthe extinguisher and rotating a portion of the extinguisher so that thecigarette butt is moved to a sealed compartment whereby it isextinguished and thence discharged therefrom by further rotation of thedevice.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of the cigarette extinguisher;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the extinguisher inassembled form;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view through the extinguisher takensubstantially along section line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of one end of theextinguisher disclosing the means for rotating the cylinder; and

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the extinguisher mounted in an ashtray with portions broken away.

In Figure 1, the cigarette extinguisher is designated in its entirety bythe numeral and is seen to consist of three basic elements, arectangular block 12, a cylinder 14 and an end plate 16.

The elongated, rectangular block 12 is provided with an axial bore 18opening at one end through the end 20 of the block and terminatingwithin the block adjacent the end 22 thereof. The diameters of the bore18 and the cylinder 14 are such that the cylinder 14 seats tightly butrotatably within the bore. An elongated cigarette receiving slot 24 isprovided in the top of the block and extends longitudinally of the blockand opening into the end 20 and terminating adjacent the end 22 of theblock. The side wall 26 of the block is provided adjacent its lower edgewith a longitudinally extending cigarette butt discharging slot 28 alsoopening into the bore 18. The ends of the slot 28 are closed by the ends20 and 22 of the block.

To facilitate the deposition of a cigarette butt into the cigarettereceiving slot 24, the top wall of the blockrdiverges upwardly as at 30from the cigarette receiving slot 2,763,268 Patented Sept. 18, 1956 sothat a butt deposited longitudinally of the block will be automaticallyfunneled into the slot 24.

The end 20 of the block is also provided with an enlarged counterbore32. forming a recessed shoulder 34 in this end of the block, the purposeof which will become apparent as the description proceeds.

The cylinder 14 is provided with three circumferentially spacedcigarette butt receiving grooves 36. The cylinder is telescoped into thebore 18 so that one end thereof abuts the end wall 22 of the block. Theother end of the cylinder 14 is provided with an integral. enlarged disk38 having a peripheral edge 40, knurled in the manner shown in Fig. 1.This disk 38 seats within the counterbore 32 so that one face thereofabuts the shoulder 34. p

The bottom of the cigarette receiving slot 24 is of a widthapproximating one-sixth of the circumference of the'bore18 and thegrooves 36 of the cylinder 14 are likewise' approximately one-sixth ofthe circumference of the cylinder 14.

In operation, when one of the grooves 36 is in registry with thecigarette receiving slot 24 in the block 12, a cigarette butt isdeposited in the slot 24 and falls into the groove 36 in registrytherewith.

By virtue of the cigarette receiving slot opening into the end 20 of theblock, a portion of the peripheral edge of the disk 38 is exposed. Byoperating the knurled edge 40 of the disk, the cylinder may be rotatedone-sixth of a revolution whereby the groove 36 in which the cigarettehas been deposited will be moved into sealing relation with the wall ofthe bore 18. The cylinder in Figure 3 then will have been rotatedanother one-sixth of its distance so that a second groove 36 will bedisposed in registry with the cigarette receiving slot 24, as shown inFig. 3. Thus, as a safety precaution, each groove 36 will remain insealing relation to the wall of the bore 18 for two rotational movementsof the cylinder after being rotated counterclockwise as seen in Fig. 3,one-sixth of a revolution to seal and to assure smothering of the butt,the next rotational movement of another sixth of a revolution, of thecylinder moving the groove into registry with the dispensing slot 28whereby the butt falls out of the extinguisher into the ash tray.

To retain the cylinder within the bore 18 of the block 12, an end plate16 is placed in abutment with the end 20 of the block and is providedwith side edge and bottom tabs 42 which are bent over and clampedagainst the sides and bottom of the block 12 as shown in Fig. 2. Theupper edge of the plate 16 is provided with an arcuate notch 44 so thatthe knurled peripheral edge 40 of the disk 38 will be exposed forturning or rotating the cylinder 14 within the bore.

To prevent binding of the cylinder during its rotation within the bore18, axial shaft extensions or pintles 46 project from the ends of thecylinder 14 and are received in apertures 48 in the end wall 22 and theplate 16 respectively.

In Figure 5, the device is shown as being disposed and mounted within anash tray 50 with the top of the block 30 having the slot 24 openingupwardly for the deposition of cigarette butts into the extinguisher.The dispensing slot 28 is of course disposed within the ash receptacleof the tray for depositing butts therein after they have beenextinguished.

Since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to thoseskilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to theexact construction shown and demaintenance in an automobile ash tray,said attachment being self-contained and ready-to-use andcomprising anelongated, rectangular block having a top, a bottom, sides and ends,said block having a longitudinal bore therethrough opening at one endthrough a corresponding end of said block, and a longitudinal lightedcigarette receiving slot along the top thereof opening into said boreand said one end, said block having a longitudinal extinguishedcigarette discharge slot opening into one side adjacent the bottom ofthe block, said receiving and discharge slots opening into said bore atright angles to one another, a cylinder journaled in said bore forrotation therein, the periphery of said cylinder having equidistantcircumferentially spaced, longitudinal grooves selectively registerablewith said slots to receive, extinguish and discharge a cigarettetherefrom, and a disk fixed on one end of said cylinder for rotating thesame, said disk having an accessible knurled marginal edge adapted toassist the user in turning the disk and rotating the cylinder at will.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 and the combination therewith of anend plate fastened to one end of said block and closing the adjacent endof said bore, said disk being'interposed between said end plate and theadjacent end of said cylinder and fastened to said end of said cylinderand closing the cooperating adjacent ends of the grooves in thecylinder, said disk being of a diameter greater than the cross-sectionof the cylinder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS585,457 Aleith June 29, 1897 611,960 Ehmke Oct. 4, 1898 1,912,598Snadden June 6, 1933 2,347,271 Linn Apr. 25, 1944 2,589,989 BrunsvoldMar. 18, 1952 2,644,466 Jennings July 7, 1953 2,661,747 Manion Dec. 8,1953 2,663,504 Hooker Dec. 22, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 416,972 Germany Aug.4, 1925

